Page 73 of Love Me Forever

As we moved to the living room, I took in everything, soaking in the details I hadn't had time to see yesterday. It was honestly the most spacious living room I had ever been in. I was pretty sure my entire apartment could fit inside it. I sat on the huge couch, putting my feet up and leaning against an armrest. It was high enough to support my back.

Travis went to the kitchen island, coming back with a cup of tea and a jar of honey. “I made you this and forgot all about it.”

“That’s okay. I like lukewarm tea. So is Reese your accomplice in the kitchen?" I asked.

"Reese is my accomplice in all things, period, though I think she pointed out that this was the first time I've ever asked her for cooking instructions. She concluded that I must want to really impress you."

That meant he’d never asked for anyone else. He might have mentioned it jokingly, but I was feeling impressedandcared for.

"How about your brothers and your other cousin?"

"They're my partners in crime too. Except Declan. He's the one who tries to keep us all in check and fails most of the time. That doesn't deter him from trying. Sam was my closest ally when he was here."

"Where is he now?"

"In Honduras. He's with Doctors Without Borders."

"Oh, right. You told me that, but I forgot. How come all of you went into business and he became a doctor?"

"Tyler is a hockey player, so not everyone went into business.”

“That’s cool. I don’t know much about hockey, but I’ll look him up.”

He laughed. “Damn, you don’t know who he is? That’s good for my ego.”

I smiled sheepishly. “As I said, I’ll look him up. Okay, so where were we? Sam!”

“He's always had a knack for fixing things and an interest in medicine. My parents and my grandmother insisted we follow our passions."

"You always mention your grandmother but never your grandfather. Is she divorced?"

He shook his head. "No, she's a widow. He passed away many years ago. I don't even remember him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that. That must be very hard for her."

"She still misses him. Every year, around his anniversary, she feels down, and we all try to cheer her up. Usually Paisley is the one who manages to pull her out of it. The rest of us try, but that kid does it effortlessly."

I was counting on my fingers. He looked at me in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out if you’ve told me about everyone. No, wait. Luke. He's the one you haven't told me anything about."

"You remember his name?"

I nodded. "Yes. It's very exciting to have so many siblings. I always wanted a brother or sister when I was a kid, but it never happened."

“Remember how I told you we pulled all sorts of shit?”

“Yes.”

"Luke was the one with the ideas."

"Got it," I said, already getting a feeling for the family dynamics. I was thrilled that my baby was going to be surrounded by this huge bunch. I had a feeling his or her childhood would be much different from mine, which was all I ever wanted. Of course, the situation wasn't ideal and not how I'd imagined it, but at this point, I was rolling with the punches.

“Anything else I should know?”

“I also have two cousins, Reese and Kimberly. From my Dad’s brother.”

“Are you close?”